Kontakt

Für Anmerkungen und Hinweise bin ich immer offen, bitte an  michael.schwab@gmx.de richten!

For Americans

Unter www.nwbrewpage.com/reise96973.html habe ich folgende Reisebeschreibung eines Amerikaners entdeckt:

(In einem Regensburger Getränkemarkt): Local beer selection was good, though, and I picked up some local Bocks and seasonal beers, when one label caught my eye, due to the term printed quite prominently on it: "Zoigl," a beer style unique to the Oberpfalz region of northeastern Franconia, not very far away from Regensburg. Zoigl wins the prize for Germany's most elusive beer style, hands down; even a voyage to its region of production won't guarantee finding it. Most Zoigl is home-brewed, a tradition dating back to medieval times, when private households would receive home-brewing rights in return for paying a tax; this right to brew also meant the right to sell, for free trade, whatever one brewed. Once this right had been acquired, it was the household's to keep in perpetuity, and it could be passed on to subsequent house-owners. The tradition for a Zoigl-brewing house is to make a batch, then hang a distinctive symbol out, advertising that the Zoigl is on offer. The standard German word for such a symbolic sign is "Zeichen," which is translated, in Oberpfälzisch dialect, into "Zoigl." It is said that no two versions of Zoigl are alike; it's a fiercely protected tradition, so very little of it has made its way into standardized modern commercial brewing. It can be either top- or bottom-fermented, and ranges in color from the amber of a Franconian Kellerbier, to the dark-copper of a Märzen. It's alsmost always unfiltered, sometimes bottled, sometimes served directly from the barrel. The Zoigl I found, Pirker, came in a half-liter bail-topped bottle, and is one of only a couple of commercially-produced versions around. I probably should have bought a case; if I were a resident of Regensburg, instead of a tourist just passing through, I probably would have.